Metallica’s ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’ Goes Platinum in U.S.

If there's anything Metallica-related that deserves a nice, bellowing, "Yeah!" it's the fact that the thrash kings have just netted another Platinum album in the U.S. for shipping 1 million units of Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, meaning every one of their studio albums has reached or surpassed this milestone!

The news has been confirmed by the RIAA, as Metallica continue to put up big numbers despite the age of declining album sales. This time, however, was a bit different than in previous years as the certification now incorporates track downloads, audio streams through accredited services as well as on-demand video streams from platforms like VEVO and YouTube.

Metallica moved 290,000 copies of their newest record in its debut week last year and saw a significant jump in sales after announcing their North American stadium tour. Each ticket purchase came with a copy of the album where fans were able to choose from digital or physical options. Still, the disc has sold more than 900,000 traditional copies as of today, which is quite impressive by current standards.

Hardwired... To Self-Destruct is the first hard rock or metal studio album released in the current decade to receive a Platinum certification or better in the U.S., demonstrating how Metallica continue to defy standards as they reaffirm their status as the world's biggest metal band.

The only studio album attached to Metallica's name that hasn't received this certification is Lulu, the ill-fated collaborative effort with Lou Reed that shifted just 13,000 copies in its debut week, failing to move the needle much more beyond that since 2011.